CIMA Law Group Blog

The Unexpected Benefits of Working Out

Aside from the typically known advantages, those who frequently exercise see a number of unexpected benefits. These benefits include;

Boost flu shot efficiency

Doing 90 minutes of moderate-paced exercise shortly after a flu vaccination may improve the vaccine’s effectiveness. Participants who cycled or ran 15 minutes after being vaccinated had nearly double the antibody response compared to volunteers who remained sedentary following the flu vaccine, according to research.

2. Significantly reduce Nocturia

Those who cannot sleep without going to the restroom, can benefit from this strange side effect. Men who engage in physical activity had a decreased chance of “nocturia,” or waking up at night to pee. The study, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in 2014, looked at nearly 30,000 men who had enlarged prostates, which is one of the most common causes of nocturia. Those who exercised one or more hours per week were 13% less likely to have nocturia and 34% less likely to report severe nocturia (waking up three or more times.)

3. Fight wrinkles

Exercise can help keep skin appearing younger and may even reverse the symptoms of aging in persons who begin exercising later in life. Over the course of three months, men and women over the age of 40 were put on an endurance-training routine in which they worked out twice a week, either running or cycling at a moderately difficult speed for 30 minutes. Even though they were above the age of 65, these people’s skin compositions were equivalent to those of 20- and 30-year-olds. The New York Times reported on findings from McMaster University in Ontario.

4. Reverse alcohol damage

According to a 2013 research published in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, regular cardio exercises can repair the detrimental effects of alcohol on your brain. Though the researchers did not present a formula for countering your weekend binges, they are optimistic that increasing your heart rate on a daily basis will help prevent and repair damaged white matter, which affects learning, cognition, and communication.

5. Cheers you up

“Walk it off,” like “rub some dirt in it,” is more than an idiom; it may genuinely make you joyful. A 30-minute walk can improve your mood and help you overcome depression, according to a 2010 research published in Medicine & Science in Sports and Exercise. Individuals have less sensations of negativity, stress, anger, and exhaustion, and instead have more episodes of pleasant feelings such as vitality and well-being. Exercise causes the production of growth hormones, which boost the availability of oxygen and blood to the brain, promoting the release of feel-good, mood-enhancing endorphins. These endorphins are more effective than morphine at producing pleasure and pain alleviation. After all, working out is the actual happy pill.

6. Boost brain power

The more you exercise while you are young, the better your brain will function later in life. A 2014 study published in Neurology discovered that young individuals with higher cardiovascular fitness levels fared better on cognition tests given 25 years later than their less-fit colleagues. Furthermore, a 2013 research published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research discovered that six weeks of agility training greatly increases attention span and memory.

7. Cuts cravings

Researchers discovered that one hour of jogging reduces junk-food cravings. MRI scans revealed that while seeing low-calorie items, areas of the brain that govern hunger lighted up, indicating that they are rewarding and thereby reducing the urge for high-calorie foods.

8. Prolongs Life

Running for 10 minutes every day can improve your health equally as much as running for an hour. There is yet hope for humanity. According to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, running, regardless of speed, can add three years to your life.

9. Improves memory

Leg day should not be skipped. A weighted two-legged squat can improve your memory, according to researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology in a 2014 study. A set of people were asked to recollect images after lifting weights, whereas others did not. Surprisingly, after 6 sets of 10 repetitions of leg extensions, exercisers recalled 10% more pictures than non-exercisers.

10. Balances the Gut

Exercise has been shown to benefit the microorganisms in your gut. An examination of professional rugby players revealed that they have a more diversified assortment of bacteria in their digestive tract than non-athletes of comparable size and age. Greater microbial variety is associated with improved health in older persons, whereas decreased diversity is associated with obesity, inflammatory bowel disease, and autism.

This blog post is part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are located in Arizona and are seeking legal services, CIMA Law Group specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations.

Ketchup Dripping Down The Wall or Blood On His Hands?

At the beginning of the Jan. 6th hearings, I questioned whether the panel was laying the roadmap to an indictment of former President Trump. At the time, about a month and a half ago, there was certainly speculation, but more prominent was the overwhelming sense of just how difficult prosecuting a former president would be. Now, with the conclusion of the first half of the hearings, the idea isn’t really all that unrealistic. The latest polling even indicates that half the country thinks the former president should be indicted. According to the Manila Times, legal analysts say Trump could potentially face at least two charges: “conspiracy to defraud the United States” for seeking to overturn election results and “obstruction of an official proceeding” for the Capitol attack.

Let’s take a quick look back as to how we got here. And folks, I would suggest you grab your popcorn.

We started off strong, learning that former Attorney General Bill Barr told Trump multiple times that his stolen election claims were “bullsh*t.” When Barr publicly dismissed Trump’s election fraud claims, the president threw his lunch in the White House dining room, leaving ketchup dripping down a wall. I mean, you know, the same way all of us adults react when we don’t get our way.

Let’s keep going. We learned that Alex Cannon, a Trump campaign lawyer, told Mark Meadows, former White House chief of staff, that there was no evidence of fraud, to which Meadows responded, “So there’s no there there?” Ah yes, I also like to see just how many times I can fit the same word into a single sentence.

I don’t even think I have the brainpower on this Sunday evening to get into how a Supreme Court justice’s wife— I want to emphasize that again: A Supreme Court justice’s wife— was completely hellbent on overturning a presidential election to save us from Satan-worshipping leaders taking America down. Obviously.

Thanks to text messages from Don Jr., we have evidence that Trump’s inner circle actually implemented plans to keep Trump in office before the election was even called. Sounds legal to me!

Eric Herschmann, a Trump White House lawyer, and Michael Flynn, quite literally a convicted felon and conspiracy theorist, almost got into a physical fight in the Oval Office. Trump tried to seize voting machines, as well as he called Mike Pence a p*ssy, and best of all, allegedly lunged toward the throat of his head of security after learning he would not be able to go to the Capitol with his supporters.

Now, I hate to change the tone from laughing at this absolute clown show of an administration to a more serious one, but it’s necessary. January 6th was a dark day in American history. Our democracy was inches away from crashing down. An officer lost his life and others were severely injured fighting to ward off that threat. Our lawmakers inside the Capitol feared for their lives— Congresswoman Sara Jacobs prepared to use her high heels as a weapon and an officer grabbed Senator Chuck Schumer by the collar to essentially save him from the rioters.

While his supporters were breaking into the Capitol building and flaunting their weapons, Trump did nothing. He refused pleas to call off the rioters and when he finally agreed, he told the insurrectionists he loved them. How absolutely repulsive is that? The next day, Trump found every which way to get around bluntly stating that the election was over. Meadows burned sensitive documents in a fireplace, Trump flushed sensitive documents down a toilet, members of Congress sought pardons for their role in trying to overturn election results, and the list goes on, most of which screams criminal to me.

So, where are we now? Well, two Trump advisors, Steve Bannon and Peter Navarro, were indicted for criminal contempt of Congress after refusing to cooperate with the committee— Bannon being found guilty this past week.

And where do we go from here? I guess we wait. If an unprecedented prosecution of the former president does take place, it would likely be a “cataclysmic event from which the nation would not soon recover,” according to Jack Goldsmith, assistant attorney general in the George W. Bush administration. However, as Laurence Tribe, Attorney General Merrick Garland’s former law professor at Harvard, notes, not holding Trump accountable would be equally harmful. Attorney General Garland is quoted saying, “We have to hold accountable every person who is criminally responsible for trying to overturn a legitimate election,” emphasizing that “no person is above the law.” Tribe believes that the attorney general will ultimately indict Trump. So, like I said, I guess we wait and see.

European Heat Wave

Europe’s recent heat wave has caused temperatures to consistently be in the triple digits and causing The U.K. set a new all time high temperature of 104 Fahrenheit. The unprecedented temperature is responsible for over 1,500 deaths, wildfires, and has forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes.

Temperatures over 100 degrees Fahrenheit are relatively common in the United States, however in the U.K. the average yearly temperature is 43 Fahrenheit. As a result, infrastructure isn’t equipped to handle the scorching heat, causing major discomfort in the lives of Europeans. According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy Only 5% of homes are estimated to have air conditioning. In Contrast, 90% of Americans are estimated to have air conditioning in their homes.

Although high temperatures are uncommon in Europe, this recent heatwave should be a wake up call for the European government and for countries around the world. The driving force behind this heatwave is climate change, and the inevitability of heatwaves like this should be a major concern for all countries and the role they play in contributing to the climate crisis.

This post is a part of the CIMA Law Group blog. If you are in the Phoenix area looking for aid in criminal defense, personal injury, or immigration, contact CIMA Law Group today to get your worries squared away.

Bill to Ban Assault-Style Rifles Seeks Advancement

A democratically led US House of Representatives panel initiated a long awaited debate over legislation that would ban specific assault-style rifles amidst the rising amount of mass shootings. Additionally, discussion around a bill that would allow lawsuits against firearm manufacturers. While this is an encouraging step in the right direction to move gun law enforcement, there are still many political hoops that it must jump through before even being considered to be discussed by the senate.

The biggest concern that these House Representatives have with the movement of this legislation is that at least 10 Republicans must agree to have the bills be brought up for debate. Historically, Republicans have been known to reject bills similar to this by defending the 2nd amendment of the United States Constitution, that being the right to bear arms. This amendment and its morbidity has been particularly relevant in recent years, as the amount of mass murders in the US has steadily been increasing- especially within recent months.

On the 4th of July during a parade, in Highland Park, IL, spectators and those within the vicinity were some of the most recent victims of this lack of legislation over assault weaponry when yet another mass shooting occurred. The Mayor of Highland Park, who was present during the presence of the shooter, has since had the opportunity to speak upon her concerns, and even do so with President Biden. In a recent interview with POLITICO, Mayor Nancy Rotering said “These guns need to be removed from the public’s access. These are military weapons. Unless they’re in combat, it just doesn’t make sense”.

Mid-June, Biden signed a bipartisan gun bill that was intended to prevent potentially dangerous individuals from purchasing assault weapons and firearms. The bill was set to expand the background evaluation of whomever is attempting to purchase said gun- yet, Republican Senate members were persistent on supporting and backing the NRA.

Additionally, republicans also objected bills that would raise the minimum age for buying semi-automatic assault weapons to 21 from 18. If the panel approves these new bills, the House is likely to follow through with passing them. However, it is seemingly unlikely that this will be the case, considering a favored Republican win in the upcoming midterm elections in November. The future of these bills are, as a result, hold a lot of weight for our country’s future.

Do Heat Waves Cause More Climate Change?

The United States is currently experiencing record heat waves with some states like Oklahoma and Texas expected to reach a high of 115℉. The cause of this heat wave has largely been blamed on climate change. The IPCC has reported that since 1970, global temperatures have been rising at 1.7℃ (~3.06℉) a century due in large part to greenhouse gas emissions. A major contributor to greenhouse emissions is the burning of fossil fuels such as oil and gas for energy production.

As a way to reduce emissions, countries started to invest in more carbon-neutral solutions such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and nuclear. Among the five, nuclear and hydroelectric are the most abundant supplies of carbon free energy (see pie chart below). Additionally, nuclear and hydroelectric power are among the most reliable sources that are not influenced strongly by changing weather patterns. They are however, very susceptible to strong changes in drought and heat waves.

Hydroelectric power, for obvious reasons, cannot function in drought conditions and is less productive when there is less water turning the turbine. Nuclear power also relies on nearby rivers and lakes for its cooling (see diagram above). When the lake is low due to drought or the water is already hot, the power plant becomes less efficient and therefore not as energy productive. Such an issue is right now occurring in France where nuclear power is down 50% due to the heat wave.

When energy plants are not as productive, demand for the energy does not go down. The amount of energy consumed has to exactly equal the amount of energy produced. Therefore, when power plants do not supply enough energy to match the amount demanded, a short term power plant opens temporarily. That power plant is most of the time operated by coal or natural gas.

These short-term power plants are easy to turn on and off in order to start or stop power supply quickly compared to hydroelectric or nuclear power plants. The issue is that they are enormously pollutants of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. So, when there is a heat wave diminishing the efficiency of nuclear and hydroelectric, the main cause of the heat wave is what has to be used, hurting our climate situation further in the future.

Exacerbating the situation even more is that during the heatwave, the general public tends to use more electricity, primarily for fans and air-conditioning. This air conditioning requires even more electricity at a higher cost because most of the additional electricity will be coming from fossil fueled short term power plants. These plants, because they operate for a short period of time, generally charge more for the electricity. As we have an increase of 4% to energy bills across the nation this summer compared to last and this current heat wave sent natural gas prices soaring. These rising costs that are continually paid will only increase our carbon footprint.

Unfortunately, there is no current solution to the problem. There have been advancements in wind and solar power but they are not where they need to be in order to fully take up the slack in energy production. If they are at least able to take over the short term power stations, this would be acceptable in places where weather patterns are more constant, we may hope to not have as hard heat in the future

A Bystander Becomes A Hero

Yet another attempt of a mass shooting has occurred at a shopping mall in Indiana. Luckily, the outcome of this traumatic situation was a little different from what our country has seen lately.

Bystander, Elisjsha Dicken, turned himself into a hero as he “neutralized” the gunman who had fired about 20 rounds in less than two minutes. 20-year-old, Jonathan Douglas Sapriman began firing at the food court as he walked out of the restroom. This is when Dicken pulled out his handgun in hopes of stopping the active shooter from killing more innocent people.

Dicken quickly reacted with not even two minutes into the shooting. Witnesses explained, before Dicken began shooting at the gunman, he informed those around him to step back as he was going to begin shooting. Sapriman was killed after being shot by Dicken.

Although Dicken responded quickly to the shooting, the gunman was unfortunaley still able to kill three people and injure two. This number could have been extremely higher if it would not have been for the actions of Elisjsha Dicken.

Western Europe Hit by Brutal Heatwave and Wildfires

People in parts of Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom are facing extreme weather they’ve never felt before. Temperatures exceeded 100°F, and a below than average rainfall have fueled wildfires across several countries on the continent. For those of us who live in southern areas of the U.S., these are normal summertime temperatures. Europeans usually travel to other countries when they want hot weather. However, homes and buildings are simply unequipped to deal with these extreme temperatures.

In the U.K. where Tuesday’s temperature of 104°F set a nationwide record, best estimates place homes with air-conditioning units installed at under 5 percent. Rail services were cancelled after the tracks overheated and one of London’s major airports had to temporarily shut it’s runway due to heat damage. In France, meteorologists have warned of a “heat apocalypse” in western France as more than 25,000 people have been forced to abandon homes, holiday rentals and campsites for emergency shelters in the Gironde département. France reached a record high of 105.4°F. Spain and Portugal have reported almost 1,200 heat-related deaths in the last two weeks. Firefighters in Spain are fighting 30 active fires, mostly in Castilla y Leon, Galicia and Andalusia.

Scientists have been warning of the influence of greenhouse gas emissions and the planet’s ever-warming baseline temperature as a reason for major weather phenomena and that temperatures exceeding 100°F in Europe will become more common and over a longer period of time.

Biden to Sign Executive Order to Help Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained Citizens Home

The executive order “Bolstering Efforts to Bring Hostages and Wrongfully Detained United States Nationals Home” will be signed by President Joe Biden today. The criminals implicated in hostage kidnapping will be subject to financial punishment and immigration restrictions under this executive order, which codifies a 2020 law.

Public pressure to free WNBA player Brittney Griner from a Russian prison led to the executive decision. In February of this year, Griner was detained at a Russian airport on suspicion of smuggling hashish oil . In a Moscow court, Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges. If found guilty, she may face a 10-year prison sentence. The Biden administration, meanwhile, has referred to Griner’s arrest as “wrongful detention” and has informed Griner’s wife that they are working to secure Griner’s immediate release. .

The order will require government organizations to enhance communication with American families of hostages or wrongfully detained individuals . This could be achieved by exchanging intelligence regarding their loved one and the government’s efforts to release them. The White House also announced that specialists from several departments would be tasked with coming up with “options and strategies to deter future hostage-takings.”

Further, the executive order will introduce the ‘D’ indicator to the U.S Department of State’s travel advisories . This indicator is assigned to countries where there is a risk of wrongful detention by a foreign government. China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, and Venezuela are among the nations that will receive the “D” indicator.

This is a CIMA Law Group blog entry. CIMA Law Group is located in Arizona and specializes in Immigration Law, Criminal Defense, Personal Injury, and Government Relations. If you live in Arizona and need legal assistance CIMA Law Group can help.

What Has The Jan. 6th Committee Uncovered So Far?

The Jan 6th committee started its hearings on June 9, 2022, in response to the riot, sometimes referred to as an insurrection, that occurred on January 6, 2021, at the US Capitol building. Rioters were able to break down the doors of the capitol building while the official election tally was being counted. An important distinction to make is that the January 6th committee is not the same as the ongoing FBI investigation. The FBI investigation’s purpose is to track down and charge the individual perpetrators of the attack, while the Jan 6th committee is focusing on Former President Donald Trump’s involvement. So far, the FBI has arrested 170 suspects and charged them with assaulting or impeding a police officer but have not charged anyone with seditious conspiracy. Additionally, they find scant evidence that the attack on the capital was in any way coordinated by anyone including the former president.

The role of the Jan 6 committee is to investigate former President Donald Trump’s actions leading up to and on January 6, 2021. The committee started by analyzing President Trump’s attacks on the voting process and false claims of election fraud. Evidence was presented that top aides to the president reportedly told him not to declare victory on election night as well as the fact that his information regarding “fraudulent votes” was incorrect.

Next, they examined Mr. Trump and his allies’ attempt to have election results thrown out by state authorities by touting false claims and theories. As testified to by Rusty Bowers, speaker of the Arizona state House, Rudi Gulini reportedly admitted to him that they “have lots of theories, [they] just don’t have the evidence” to throw out ballots in his state.

Then, they examined a last-ditch attempt to overturn the electoral college count before January 6th. The alleged plot included having then Vice-President Mike Pence, who was presiding over the count, to not accept the results and instead used inserted forged electoral ballots that favored President Trump. The vice-president did not adhere to this plan which was one of the reasons he too became a target of Trump’s attacks. In fact, on the day of the rally-turned-riot, “Hang Mike Pence” became a common chant.

Finally, came evidence and testimony regarding the events that took place on Jan. 6th. The day started with then President Trump hosting a rally near the White House. Trump was informed that some of the attendees were armed to which he reportedly didn’t care and wanted them to be let through anyway. During his speech, he touted the false election claims and told his supporters to go march to the capital, something that his aides had already secured a protest permit for. The president reportedly wanted to go with his supporters to the capital personally but his protection detail told him no. There was unreliable testimony made by Cassidy Hutchinson, a former aide to the then chief of staff, who claimed that she was told by a guard of the president that he “lunged for the wheel so he could go to the capital” however this testimony was disputed by Trump’s bodyguards and no evidence has corroborated this version of events.

After almost a month and a half of testimony, the Jan. 6 congressional panel is expected to have its last session on Thursday, July 21, 2022. It is expected that the last session will be dedicated to understanding a minute-by-minute analysis of the events that took place. The last hearing, just like all the others, will be available for live streaming on CSPAN. For a more detailed account of the events that transpired on January 6th click HERE

Although the committee claims bipartisanship due to its two Republican members, the committee is mostly a scheme by the Democrats to show the American public the details regarding that day and the false election claims that led to it. A majority of Republicans have boycotted the hearings with Rep. Liz Cheney saying that they will be “forever dishonored” for their actions. It is highly unlikely that the committee’s finding will in any way result in judicial action against the former president so the main reason for the committee is to convince the American public not to support him or vote for him if Donald Trump decides to run again in 2024.

James Webb Recent Developments

Last week, the very first images from the James Webb telescope were released to the public. On December 25, 2021, James Webb was launched from Europe’s Spaceport. Over the past 7 months, the telescope traveled from Earth to L2, a point in space outside of the moon’s orbit away from the sun.

Recently, NASA released the first images from the James Webb telescope. The first is the Carina Nebula, which is the edge of NGC 3324, a nearby star-forming area – sort of like a “star nursery”.

The second image is Stephan’s Quintet, which is a grouping of five galaxies. It gained fame for being featured in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” a classic holiday film. The area was an obvious choice for the telescope’s first photographs because of its relative closeness. Furthermore, the image has given insight into how interacting galaxies trigger star formation, how gas in galaxies is distributed, and outflow patterns driven by a black hole.

The next image reveals details of a nearby planetary nebula, which is the shell of gas and dust ejected from dying stars. Images like these will help better understand the evolution of stars, as well as how they impact their environments.

Finally, and most exciting, Webb captured the deepest and sharpest infrared image of the distant universe to date. The image covers a patch of sky about the size of a grain of sand held at arm’s length by someone on the ground.

Viewers can track the telescope’s location and image releases through NASA’s “Where is Webb?” tracker.